Goodbye, Runner's World; Hello, R

In an advertising campaign that's probably costing as much as a bank bailout—including time during Sunday's Super Bowl[4]—the folks who make Gatorade have "rebranded" their product. Now it's simply "G." As in, "Gee...Did you really spend millions of dollars to ditch the most recognizable brand name in the world of sports drinks?"

The family of a University of Florida professor who helped invent the stuff is none too happy, says NPR[5].

Personally, I think this move is a stroke of genius. Just think of the time savings alone. How many times do people around the globe say "Gatorade" on an average day? At least 100,000, I'm guessing, conservatively. (Imagine the aid stations at a large marathon, with dozens of volunteers chanting "Water on the left... Gatorade on the right...Water on the left... Gatorade on the right...") Now, instead of three syllables, they'll need just one: "G." Multiply that savings times 100,000, times 365 days per year, and the scope of this change becomes clear.

In this spirit, I have unilaterally decided to rebrand Runner's World[6]. Effective immediately, we shall be known simply as R. So say I.

If this seems brash or reckless or even infuriating—especially to the "bigwigs" in corporate and to my boss, Editor in Chief David Willey—well, that's how R rolls. R is bold and decisive. (Wait... That gives me an idea...)

R is bold and decisive. (There. That's better.)

R is a monosyllabic brand of action. R shoots from the hip and never looks back. R grabs life by the throat. R cannot be shackled or contained. R plays by its own rules, which it routinely breaks. R takes no prisoners and makes no apologies.

If R were a celebrity, it would be an amalgam of Keith Richards, Dennis Rodman, and Dathan Ritzenhein.

R takes awesomeness to levels once thought purely theoretical. R dares to ask the question, "Will readers purchase a magazine whose title consists of a single letter?" and to answer it for you, before you've even had a chance to think about it. (The answer is "yes[7].")

Now, we realize that some folks don't like change, no matter how awesome, and we fully expect some backlash. Readers who wish to lodge a complaint may do so at the following address: